Syria: US and Russian special forces fight a shadow war

Cassandra Sully | Middle East

Proxy war

The war in Syria is coming to an end. The Syrian government has clung to power since the civil war officially began during the Arab Spring in 2011. Now, it appears that it will be the ultimate victor in a conflict that has killed more than 470,000 people.

The question then, is what happens as the ISIL buffer between the various proxy forces finally collapses? What happens when these competing groups enter the war’s end game, and face off over who will ultimately control a peace-time Syria?

The quiet war

“Our special forces units are operating in Syria. They provide additional reconnaissance for Russian airstrikes, carry out aircraft target-designation in remote areas, and carry out other special tasks” – Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov

With the war winding down, Russian and American Special forces are increasingly coming into contact with one another as their competing proxy forces scramble to secure territory.

The United States says it has around 500 troops in northern and eastern Syria advising the SDF. On the Russian side, the exact number of Special forces and ‘advisors’ remains unknown. What is clear is that as the war has dragged on, both sides have increasingly deployed front-line units to fight on the battlefield. Officially, both sides are united in fighting against ISIL and its allied fundamentalist groups, however many speculate that the fighting is focused on securing a stronger bargaining position in the eventual peace talks.

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What’s next?

The question of Syria’s future is a complicated one. Russia has directly threatened to retaliate against US forces in Syria targeting areas occupied by American units and US backed militias if its troops came under fire. And the US has shown that it will do whatever it deems necessary to defend its soldiers on the ground.

What is clear is that more fighting is to come, and a war that has spanned more than six years remains as uncertain as ever.